Secrets of the Talking Jaguar: Memoirs from the Living Heart of a Mayan Village
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.84 (928 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0874779707 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 304 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-03-19 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
From Publishers Weekly As late as the 1970s, among the Tzutujil Indians of Santiago Atitlan, in Guatemala, there was no word for "time," and the concept closest to the verb "to be" was the state of "belonging to"?in this case, to their village, which these descendants of ancient Mayans believed was the center of the universe. Their religion, which relied on communion with animal and plant spirits to understand daily existence, appealed deeply to Prechtel, a half Native American who grew up on a Pueblo reservation near Santa Fe: "The new aromas, the new sounds, things that I'd never seen before, spun me into a trance, amplifying my already well-established erotic relationship with the landscape, my verdant quest to find a way to merge and mate with the spirit of the world." In his engaging first book, Prechtel describes his apprenti
Twenty-five years ago, a young musician and painter named Martin Prechtel wandered through the brilliant landscapes of Mexico and Guatemala. Arriving at Santiago Atitlan, a Tzutujil Mayan village on the breathtaking shores of Lake Atitlan, Prechtel met Nicolas Chiviliu Tacaxoy--perhaps the most famous shaman in Tzutujil history--who believed Prechtel was the new student he had asked the gods to provide. The story of his education is a tale filled with enchantment, danger, passion, and hope..
JOY A. said Three Stars. sounded like he was high most of the book. Lynetta Anne said Brings the Reader deep within the village truths. An amazing book, filled with insights and deeply wise. I particularly appreciated the honesty that allowed us to grow in understanding through following Prechtel's errors and misunderstandings a deeply moving memoir. Strongly recommended for anthropologists and shamanic practitioners alike - ther. "one of the best books I've ever read" according to C. Symington. Anyone with an interest in indigenous people as well as a lust for fascinating accounts of wayward travellers will find this impossible to put down. Humorous, yet poetic at times, the writer has a gift to share, and he does so with incredible dexterity. The insights into how the Maya lived within